Lewis Hamilton has started what may prove to be the biggest Formula 1 challenge he will ever face after successfully completing a move to Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season.
Fans gave Hamilton a warm Ferrari welcome after he arrived in Maranello this week, where he began preparations for the new season.
The Scuderia are hard at work to prepare their new car after missing out on ending a 16-year title drought in 2024 by losing the Constructors’ Championship to McLaren by 14 points.
Hamilton is a big part of Ferrari’s plan to avenge defeat and bring success back to Italy after years of being close, but failing to get over the final hurdle.
The knowledge and experience in car development that the 39-year-old brings could deliver the extra push they need to be the fastest on the grid.
Hamilton has already requested a change to his 2025 Ferrari F1 car after he wasn’t satisfied with the arrangement of buttons on his steering wheel. Already he’s making improvements to their machine.
Peter Windsor says Lewis Hamilton will ‘change’ how Ferrari drivers look
Hamilton’s first race in red will come at the same track he debuted in the sport at, with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
He faces two months of preparation before he climbs into the cockpit and things get serious. He has various days of running to complete in older Ferrari cars before pre-season testing in Bahrain, then the first race.
The Brit is renowned for his approach to fashion and flashy outfits in the paddock, something which he will continue to bring this season.
READ MORE: F1 fans notice one key difference in Lewis Hamilton on his first day at Ferrari after Mercedes exit
According to Peter Windsor, Hamilton joining Ferrari will help change the way that their drivers look for good.
“Lewis is going to love being at Ferrari. Win, lose or draw, he’ll love it because he’ll love the country, the Tifosi, the food, clothes, and he’ll love being a Ferrari driver,” he said.
“He will be one as nobody else has been a Ferrari driver. But that’s Lewis, he’ll change the way Ferrari drivers look.”
The challenge Lewis Hamilton faces to win an F1 title with Ferrari
Hamilton’s first run in a Ferrari car will be at Fiorano this week, as he steps into an older machine to familiarise himself with their processes.
Not only will adapting to their car be a challenge, but his new teammate Charles Leclerc will be a tough opponent for him.
The Monegaqsue driver is an ace in qualifying and had the fourth-best average grid position of any driver in 2024.
READ MORE: Ferrari now aiming to fix ‘chronic shortcoming’ with their 2025 F1 car ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s debut
Hamilton was down in seventh, some three places worse off and four positions behind ex-Mercedes teammate George Russell.
He’s aware that he needs to improve his one-lap pace, but points are always won on a Sunday and that’s where the majority of his focus will remain as he sets his sights on an eighth world championship.
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